PAYBACK
by starsfromthenight
Summary: Revenge is not far from the minds of The Shield. After a long year of injustice in WWE at the hands of The Authority, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns reform once again to take down their enemies. Will they able to work as a unit again given what happened just a few months back? Nothing is for certain in this game, ever. Requested by: Bajor10
1. Chapter 1

_"What is going on here!"_

 _"Randy Orton planting a vicious attack on Seth Rollins!"_

 _"DEAN! Here comes Dean Ambrose! The Lunatic Fringe now going at it with the Viper!"_

 _"They are both brawling! And now Orton takes the upper hand!"_

 _"What is- ROMAN REIGNS! Roman Reigns attacking Orton from behind!"_

 _"And now- now it seems they are all somehow... are they-"_

 _"They are attacking Orton, all 3 of them!"_

 _"Ladies and gentlemen Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are now issuing an extremely ruthless attack on Randy Orton!"_

 _"What does this mean?!"_

 _It was so loud in that place. The crowd was relentless as soon as they got an idea of what was going on. But... what was going on? Nobody really knew at that moment, the announcers being just as, if not more, in the blue than the rest of them._

 _Could it be?_

 _Seth, Roman and Dean stood over a semi-conscious Randy Orton outside the ring. They'd taken him out right after he started attacking each one of them individually. Nobody had ever planned on witnessing this, ever; not even those 3 guys, this particular scenario also coming as a complete surprise to them. It had all gone down so quickly and their reactions came out all of a sudden, almost instinctual, like an automatic response to a brother being threatened._

 _Brother._

 _Could they even define themselves as brothers anymore? Dean and Roman had stayed pretty close after the falling out had happened, but Rollins? Was he included in all this?_

 _Their answer seemed to be layed out on the floor right in front of their very eyes. They looked back and forth at each other briefly before Roman crossed his arms in front of himself, motioning for Orton to be finished once and for all. He hadn't done that in nearly a year but it felt damn good if he could be honest. Despite all those months that had passed, Seth and Dean caught on immediately with what the older man wanted. And they obeyed. They both grabbed Orton quickly, picking him up, and prompted him on Reigns' shoulders. This all happened so... so damn fast and was all so well-choreographed. It was something that neither of them had expected to be doing just a couple days ago, but that was now happening, presenting itself as the most natural thing in the universe._

 _After a giant, almost deafening roar exiting the Samoan's lips, they threw Randy Orton right on the English announce table, the Viper crashing onto it with a loud thud. Everything went completely quiet afterwards. Nobody spoke. Everyone was speechless at the spectacle that had just gone down a few seconds ago. Even the announcers, whose job was to talk, were as quiet as they'd ever been, Michael Cole's mouth dropping open. So many surprising things had happened in the years he'd been announcing, but he would be a liar by saying he'd ever been more in shock than he was right then and there._

 _The 3 boys stood outside the ring. 3 pairs of eyes scanned one another, confusion and unease registered on their faces. Rollins was extremely hype, however, a sudden rush invading the young man, like a shot of morphine injected in his veins. He grabbed one of the nearby announcer chairs, which was probably Booker's, and smashed it against the ground, the thing bouncing briefly. After a few more seconds of that same rush running rampant all over his body, he stopped right next to Dean and Roman, placing his arms around both guys in the process. The action really surprised both men who simply stared at him in response._

 _"YEA! That's what I'm talking about!" Rollins could not contain the words that came out, pure excitement speaking, "Have at it Orton!"_

 _Roman and Dean just eyed each other then looked on as Seth did something no one quite had in mind. With a smile and a quick chuckle, the young man placed his fist right in front of them. Both guys looked on, extremely puzzled, breathing heavy in the process. That had been a rush for them too; it had felt so different to once again be able to do what they'd just done. It was all so... overwhelming for sure; like the walls coming together looking to crush them and leave with every ounce of oxygen there was left._

 _Roman stared at Dean, eyeing him intently, as focused as he could. All he could see in that moment was the brunette and the expressions or mannerisms that might come out of him. He needed a clue as to whether he should do this or not. If this was even an idea anymore. He wanted, no, he needed Dean's take on the whole situation because, after all, he'd been the one who'd gotten the most amount of raw pain when the break-up had occurred. That was a pretty well-known fact by now._

 _Rollins just looked back and forth between both men, the wide, tooth-flashing smile never quiet leaving his face. Sure, he might get the beating of a lifetime as a result of this little change of events, but he was willing to risk it. Risk it all in hopes both Dean and Roman would see things the way he just started noticing right there, in a different light. What if... just what if they were meant to be together, working together as brothers after all? With the same amount of work ethic and passion they had put over in their interviews so many times before. What if this was the end of it all, the end of a year of exhaustion, to give a new beginning to another time? The time of The Shield._

 _Dean's breathing turned even heavier as he eyed Seth, his expression completely readable to the younger man: he'd been broken. Hell, he had been completely demolished by what had happened. Roman was right whenever he said that if any one of the 3 had had it worse after the falling out, it had been Dean. Not only had he been meddling around in the midcard more than the other 2, but he was emotionally wrecked as well. Those 2 guys were not only his team, his partners, they were his fucking family. They had traveled, partied, and fought together on so many occasions, sometimes even done it all in the same night. All those signs of affection and brotherhood had felt in vain as soon as the youngest of the 3 had struck that steel chair right on Roman's back._

 _As those thoughts continued to creep up in his mind, Roman and Seth just looked at him, see if he was willing to do what all these people were waiting desperately for. See if he was, more than anything else, willing to forgive a brother._

 _And he did._

 _The Ohioan placed his taped-up hand right in front of them, right next to Seth's. The crowd went absolutely wild but quickly refrained themselves waiting for Roman to do the same, if he even did._

 _With a slight nod and quick smile, Roman Reigns also placed his hand amongst the other 2. The place erupted, the commentators also going absolutely wild at this showing. The Shield was once again something. It was no longer a faction of the past, but a team of the present and the future; a future that looked so damn bright from where they could see. Chants of "This is awesome!" filled the arena as the WWE Universe let them know how anticipated this had all been. So many rumors had drowned up the dirt sheets before regarding a potential reunion. Now it was all a reality._

 _The boys were not done however. Roman and Dean quickly pulled Orton up from his daze, throwing him right in the ring. They turned to Seth who looked very surprised at this. To be quite honest, all he'd been expecting after their reunion was for them to place their fists in the middle, celebrate with the crowd, and walk backstage. He didn't quite know what to do so Dean motioned for the ring and said, "Go ahead." Roman also nodded._

 _At the mention of those words, a blessing of sorts from the boys, Rollins went inside the ring, hitting his finisher quickly on a now probably unconscious Orton. Yea, beatings from The Shield usually ended like that for the other guy and now they would be able to them again. People backstage must've been terrified at all this. Seth pinned Orton and retained his title, with the help from Roman and Dean. Who would've thought about this, ever? After all that had gone down._

 _Seth completely forgot about J &J Security and Kane, who were regarding all 3 men from the ramp, confusion clearly written on their faces. The crowd was still going crazy and so they happily celebrated with them. Roman and Dean carried Seth up on their shoulders as the WWE Champ's laughs and cheers were drowned in all that commotion. Not like he could complain. That was such a special moment for him. The most prestigious title in the industry was now with The Shield, where it should have been a long time ago._

* * *

1 week later.

"Seth get down from there. You're going to fall right on your ass and I won't be putting up with your whining this time." Roman called out to the young man who was walking on top of the equipment boxes as he and Dean struggled to catch up shortly behind, on normal ground.

It was now Monday Night Raw, a week after Payback had happened. One week. 7 days had passed since The Shield reformed and it was all still pretty surreal for the 3 guys to be quite honest. Roman still had a hard time believing a reunion had actually happened. If someone had approached and told any of them that statement would come true even a couple weeks back, Roman and Seth would have regarded the person as if they were crazy and Dean, well, Dean would've applied a savage beating for spewing such lies.

All 3 guys were headed to see Vince and what he would have planned for them. Yes, going to work from now on would be extremely difficult and uncomfortable; that being the reason they hadn't shown up the week before opting instead to spend that Monday sleeping it off, hungover as could be from all that partying Dean had convinced them to do. Dean and his ideas. As usual, however, Roman and Seth had gone right along with it, ignoring the consequences that would occur right after, in this case being the world's biggest hangover.

But yea they already knew what they were getting themselves into if they ever reformed, even before Payback had taken place they knew it would be a pain in the ass for sure. The Authority was now in charged and things had definitely changed. You were either with the system or out of it and The Shield was fo damn sure not in it, and never would be. Never again. That being made clear, they would just have to put up with the group, put up or be put down for good, those were the new rules.

"Seth." He called to the younger man who was now nearly jogging over all those boxes, "I won't tell you again."

"Oh come on Roman! It's so fun!" Seth yelled out in a midst of chuckles. He could be such a little boy sometimes.

"Yea well, see if it's fun when you fall and bust your- Dean!" He quickly caught a glimpse of the Ohioan who got on top of one of the boxes and also started jogging to catch up with Seth. Reigns just stared at him in disbelief, "You too?"

"Yep." He called back cheerfully, making Roman seriously consider leaving both guys before they made him grow out white hairs. He couldn't though, even if he tried. Caring was a word used to describe him, and nothing else could fit him more perfectly. Yes, he usually cared about those 2 more than he should, but he couldn't help it. Spending most time with certain individuals would of course trigger that in him, specially if those 2 certain individuals so happened to be constantly placing themselves in danger.

He knew neither would ever listen, so Reigns just shook his head and continued walking along with them. It was settled... once they crossed those doors to Vince's office, once they got one look of the man, things would absolutely change. Whether it would be for better or for worse, they didn't know yet. This was definitely going to be an unexpected ride, but Roman was just glad to be on it with his boys once again. His brothers.

* * *

Another story! This one was requested by Bajor10 and so far is shaping up to be quite good! Hopefully you all enjoy this unexpected ride as Reigns called it, and as always, reviews are welcomed :)


	2. Chapter 2

"Because The Authority always does what's best for business."

The place was absolutely packed for Monday Night Raw. The atmosphere was something electric; the kind of environment that can never be described fully, it was felt. It takes a special kind of place to be able to witness something such as what was in the building that one hot Monday night, see it in its magnitude. Few minds could truly remember what was happening, witness it detail by detail. Feel the air, the hot temperature rising, taste every moment. It felt like such a blur to everyone involved, including The Authority.

Comprising of "The Game" Triple H, his pretty wife and one of the principal owners of the company Stephanie McMahon, "The Devil's Favorite Demon" Kane, Seth's former lackeys Joey Mercury, Jamie Noble and, of course, "The World's Largest Athlete" The Big Show. All 6 stood in the middle of the big ring, a place that had been the home to pure wrestling since many years before. A place that had showcased the raw athleticism and storytelling only few individuals in the world were capable of. A spot that had forged so many men, each of distinct and unique backrounds, every one with a dream. That was the one place that had taken those men, made them into legends. The one location, the one source of serenity for anyone looking to write their name a part of that same list they'd come to idolize in their youth. A Stone Cold Steve Austin or a Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Even a Hulk Hogan was amongst the dreams of men, despite the idea being far fetched. Despite different personalities coming to play, one thing remained common for anyone who had ever stepped into that ring or was about to, the place of warriors. Each boot laced up, each bottle of oil used to garnish a sculpted body means something. And there are no limits. No limits to what they could get to be. Once a dream becomes an action, it cannot be tainted or stopped.

Which is what immediately crossed the minds of 3 men. The 3 individuals standing behind those double doors, the heavy entry which had once become their solace, their one serenity. It was weird for them to be standing there, waiting their queue, their opportunity to enter the arena. So it was all beginning once again. What they had all been too eager to begin, but too scared to bring up.

A damn reunion.

In all honesty, who would've thought. How that one single, invisible spec of idea could've once again become a thing none of them knew; yet there they were, standing right next to each other, awaiting. Examining carefully. Stephanie and Hunter going on and on about their ideals and plans as The Authority. How much greater they were, how separated they remained to everyone else in the "WWE pyramid". The same words being muttered over and over again, making Dean near insanity, if that was even more possible given his mental state.

"Aaaagghh." The brunette moaned in frustration, making Roman chuckle and smile a bit, "When are they going to STOP?" He walked over to the wall Roman was leaning on and pressed his forehead firmly against the cold enclosure, "They have been yapping and yapping for about 30 minutes now. They are driving me crazy!" He turned his head a little, gaze met with the Samoan's, serious tone of voice now in place, a nod following, "Crazier than usual."

The older man just shrugged apologetically, "That's how they usually start. You know The Authority. They take their time."

Now it was Ambrose who leaned back-first against the block wall looking over to his other now-teammate, "I know but I usually didn't have to listen. I was well into my 20th chicken wing by that mark." Seth chuckled, Dean nodding briefly towards him, "Don't know how you put up with that crap consistently. You had some balls."

Rollins let out a pretty loud laugh, shaking his head, "Nah man. I usually tuned out after, uh, H's second word."

Both Roman and Dean too let go of carefree laughs. This was typically how their conversations backstage turned out, making fun of WWE's silly personalities, praising the good ones. They were all ecstatic the tradition had not been lost.

Roman shook his head briefly before soaking his luscious, black hair with Dasani water. He was always saying how his hair was washed only with a list of good, manly products. The older man would always elicit a chuckle from Dean and Seth whenever he complained about having to spray tap water on the long locks. It was no secret his mane looked better than most of the Diva's expensive extensions.

"Wonder what The Borethority will have to say." Dean sighed.

"Borethority?" Seth regarded the young man who was leaning against the wall right in front of him with a smile and a scoff, "Don't know man. Don't know if we'll find out their point at all given the rate this is going. They aren't past their usual mark yet."

As custom demanded, Ambrose was not able to stay still. It was specially noticeable now that he was anxious to go out there and give a piece of his mind to everyone in that ring. He'd been the most affected of the 3 and wasn't about to let that pass, "Can't we just go out there? NOW?"

"No Dean." It was Roman who spoke, elbows on his knees, head down letting the water drip, a usual routine, "We have to await the right time, remember?" An unspoken conversation flowed amongst them without making eye contact. Yes they all remembered. Crystal clear.

"Well they better hurry it the fuck up. I ain't gonna wait much longer. Not for them." The Ohioan started bouncing on both feet lightly, another one of the usual routines within their group. It was all so known to them at this point. So known and still remembered. Picture perfect.

 _ **Sierra**_

 _ **Hotel**_

 _ **India**_

 _ **Echo**_

 _ **Lima**_

 _ **Delta**_

 _ **SHIELD**_

"Well, there you go." Roman spoke, raising his eyebrows, smirk forming on that handsome face, "Let's go." He let both Dean and Seth walk out first, their usual formation. Placing a hand on Ambrose's shoulder, he spoke quietly but to the point as they both walked out, "Hey and, uh... refrain from speaking for now, alright."

Ambrose looked up at the slightly bigger man briefly before stopping a little to witness the crowd, Roman pausing next to him, "Why the fuck not?"

Upon stepping out there and feeling the atmosphere, it was impossible to answer back to Dean. They were all taken aback by the urgency felt within the crowd. It was an involuntary response by all 3 of them, something they could not help. Something that just happened. Everyone was absolutely unglued.

Their music was drowned in the sea of chants and cheers. Every living soul on those stands were on their feet. It was all so damn... electric. A natural reaction from the fans.

Roman looked over to his brothers. A smile automatically crept up when he saw just how in awe they both were. They sure had missed this. There was nothing quite like that feeling; whenever they would walk through the crowd to that sick theme, in that badass way only they knew how to portray, all eyes on them. There was nothing like it, and if there ever was, it would just be too hard to explain. The perks that came with being The Shield was as close as it came.

"There they are ladies and gentlemen. The Shield." Michael Cole spoke through the too-big-for-a-human-face headset, excitement clear on the announcer's cheery voice, "The men who singlehandedly decimated Randy Orton last week at Payback in a fatal-four-way between him and the 3 individuals now walking down the steps."

"The crowd is electric tonight!" Jerry "The King" Lawler spoke loudly. Another enthusiastic soul in a sea of many.

"Well of course these jerks are cheering for them!" Now it was JBL who chimed in, not quite as vivid as his 2 peers, "These people will side with anything going against The Authority. The Shield are just the flavor of the month for now. It don't matter if they're back together. They will fade again, just like last time."

"Will they now?" Cole spoke, shaking his head, "I don't think so John, I-"

"Of course they will Maggle! They always do!"

Cole chose to ignore his colleague, "Well... and as we're all well aware of by now, that same match had quite a lot at stake, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The same title now around... Dean Ambrose's waist?"

By this point, the 3 guys were already inside the ring. Ambrose was shaking wildly, just itching to actually do something. Actions spoke so much louder than words to him. That was the way things had always worked, the way he'd not-so-generously been taught by life. Seth, on the contrary, was trying to keep his calm, failing in the process given how damn excited he was, crowd not making matters easier for him either. He, however, chose to not mutter a word. It was damn too soon for that.

Roman on his part was the one, that after taking a step forward, spoke, "So Hunter. Here we are. The people you despise so much are standing right in this ring. Right in your face." He paused to encourage crowd reaction, and boy did they react. A brief chant of "This is Awesome" had broken out even before they'd hit the place, "Now since we are actually here... what are you gonna do about it?"

There was nothing from the other side of the conversation. 6 pairs of eyes looked on in a mixture of pure shock and disbelief. All those emotions were felt but more than that there was... anger. Pure anger emanating from The Authority. It was palpable and no loud crowd could drown that. Such a strong feeling could not be stopped or contained.

Triple H furrowed his brow, taking a step forward as well, facing Roman with such intensity in his eyes, "Who do you think you are?" Reigns raised his eyebrows briefly, "Who the hell do you think you are coming here. Coming here to personally attack what I have built." Their foreheads were now touching and the tension was now too strong to be cut down. Tension both men were immensely submerged into they did not notice what was happening a few feet away from them.

Off-mic, Seth spoke quietly, "Ambrose. Hey Dean... Dean!" He was trying hard to contain the man who could not stay still urging to force his fist right through Hunter's face, make him swallow that damn ego of his. Seth placed his hands on the Ohioan's shoulder, trying desperately to hold him, keep him from doing something too stupid. No. Now was definitely not the time, "Dean, hey. Look- look at me." His tone of voice was quiet attempting to promote peace, something that seemed to be having little effect, with Ambrose bouncing wildly in place now, muttering curses to himself. After many attempts at making the older man look into his eyes, blue finally met chocolate brown, "Please calm down man alright. Please calm down. It's not worth it alright. Not worth it."

Ambrose paced back and forth a short distance as Seth followed quickly behind to settle him down, or at least try. The Authority regarded both men intently, everyone having something to say. It was Stephanie who spoke, "Gentlemen." Dean and Seth now moved their gaze to her pretty face, "Look, we- we can work something out okay. We can-"

"And what will that be Steph eh?!" Dean had released himself from Seth's protective, calm bubble and was now walking towards her, anger emanating from him like sweat, "What the hell are you going to do huh!?" Her expression registered nothing short of shock, no response coming out, "ANSWER ME!"

"Dean. Hey! Dean." It was Roman who stepped up this time, turning and placing both hands on each side of the wildman's face. Seth looked on, relieved. If there was anything or anyone who could calm Dean Ambrose down, if there even was such a thing, it was absolutely Roman, "Calm down okay. This is not the right time-"

"And when is it going to be the right time huh Roman!? When!?"

In that moment, their re-occurring argument was cut short by a familiar tune. In the midst of it all, "The Viper" Randy Orton came out walking slowly into the ring. His pace was eternal, his look menacing and calculating. He'd been the man they'd all attacked just a short week ago but they would be lying if they said they'd kept that in mind. They had failed to really remember the attack, their focus completely kept in The Authority and its members.

The handsome man remained outside the ring, ready to attack. He was one simple walk away from the steps, but as always, The Shield was just one step ahead. Dean and Roman had noticed Orton's gaze kept fixated Rollins the entire time. Yes he was angry at all 3 of them but wanted to get his hands on the youngest first, that bit was obvious.

And so they did what they had to do. Both finally got on the same page and walked right in front of Rollins, Dean handing him the title in the process, which he took quickly. It wasn't like he really cared who of the 3 carried it, it was The Shield's championship now.

Everything in that one fragment of time seemed to have stopped. The crowd was now completely silent. Nothing was heard, no movement shown. This was the most quiet a WWE show had been... ever.

This silence, however, was good. It aided thought and encouraged mature action. Time seemed to have gone on forever, an infinity of minutes pacing along patiently. In reality, only a mere few seconds had ran by, as quick as light.

Roman took the microphone to his lips but one simple question interrupted, "Why now?" Hunter. He'd taken a step back. Posture was still pretty tense but the man was really trying to not lose it fully, "Why did you guys do this now? I- I don't understand, Seth-" He looked to Rollins who shuddered a little, Ambrose immediately took a step forward, fully shielding the man, "I thought- I thought that The Authority was your place. It doesn't make any sen-"

"Our little meeting here is over." Roman now had the floor. He'd seen Hunter trying to get close to Seth, feed him guilt, an easy entryway for his lies. Being outsiders for a year meant he and Dean could see right through their little games; Seth on his end was extremely vulnerable to the bullshit, something they could never again afford, last time being painful enough. With his brother's well-being in mind, Reigns spoke as clear as ever, leaving no questions behind, "Only one thing I can say to you Hunter." The Samoan took the step forward Hunter had taken back and placed his index finger on the COO's chest, pressing firmly against the fresh cotton of the expensive-looking suit. He was surprised to not have gotten the taste punched out of his mouth or any other movement coming from the man. He knew right then and there, however, that the motive was in place. Hunter wanted to do it with all his being, it was evident in his eyes, he just knew better, "For the life of you and..." He eyed Steph who was glued to her spot, breath held, "everything you have built, stay clear of us." He paused one more time to eye the crowd, spectators of the show not once moving a muscle, few of them starting to cheer, "Stay away from The Shield's path. Do not question it. The consequences can be quite painful for you and your little group here as you have learned in the past, only this time will be much, much worse. You've been warned."

With that and a chuckle from Dean, who tried to step in Hunter's face and beat the living shit out of him only to be quickly refrained by Roman, all 3 men got out of the ring, Seth being the first one exiting with the strap.

The Authority was absolutely fuming, a strong sentiment felt even from afar. Despite wanting justice to rule in WWE, The Hounds knew it was something that was going to take some fight; some quick, strategic, strong fight. It all had to happen, and soon for the sake of everyone.


End file.
